Words that you didn't get as a kid

[mParadox]

Growing up I would come across words which I'd be too lazy to look up and try to come up with meanings on my own(it was good fun).

I can only remember one word at the moment.

Errands:-

Actual meaning: A short journey undertaken in order to deliver or collect something, often on someone else's behalf.
What I thought it meant: Hmm... sounds like a tasty berry.

So reading that word again and again, I would keep wondering, those are some tasty berries. >_>

tl;dr: Did you come across words as a kid whose meanings you totally got wrong?

 

[Marter]

"Tariff."

Never cared enough to look it up. Granted, it's also not a word that you come across daily (at least, I don't) so I would often go months without hearing it. Only actually looked it up during the previous school year.

EDIT: Does "tariff" count as "adult speak"?

 

[Jedamethis]

If there any, I haven't heard them yet. Quick, throw words with obscure meanings at me!

 

[mParadox]

EDIT: Does "tariff" count as "adult speak"?

Not really. Unless you go with psychoanalysis. x. x

If there any, I haven't heard them yet. Quick, throw words with obscure meanings at me!

hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

 

[PleasantAsAHeadcrab]

For what it's worth, when my mother would tell me she was running to the drug store, I assumed she was going to come back with like, marijuana or cocaine or something, instead of...medicine and cheap candy and stuff.
Considering I was four, I find that rather troubling. xD;

 

[Lizardon]

EDIT: Does "tariff" count as "adult speak"?

Not really. Unless you go with psychoanalysis. x. x

If there any, I haven't heard them yet. Quick, throw words with obscure meanings at me!

hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!
.... I'm scared of big words like that =)

OT: No I was one those annoying kids who pestered adults when I heard or saw something I didn't know or understand.

 

[Ariyura]

Truancy, I was never truant myself but my sister was.

 

[Freaky Lou]

For what it's worth, when my mother would tell me she was running to the drug store, I assumed she was going to come back with like, marijuana or cocaine or something, instead of...medicine and cheap candy and stuff.
Considering I was four, I find that rather troubling. xD;

I remember seeing a place with "Drug Store" written boldly on the sign, and asking my mother why the police didn't shut it down.

 

[Jedamethis]

If there any, I haven't heard them yet. Quick, throw words with obscure meanings at me!

hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

Fear of long words. Nowhere near obscure enough.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Misdemeanour- I knew what it meant, but I was under the impression it was 'Mr Meaner'.

I was a 'special' child.

 

[Viral_Lola]

Yonder and then people would point. It confused me.

 

[Zeitgeist1983]

Irony

I didn´t understand why someone says something but meaning just the opposite. In the meantime, I somehow became a cynic...

Edit:

Not really OT but I thought it would fit in here...

 

[Colour Scientist]

Not that I didn't understand the meaning but there were a loads of words I would read, look up and wouldn't hear out loud for another few years.

Like superfluous, I used to think that was pronounced super-flew-us, like is was two separate words. It's difficult to explain without sound.

 

[Don Savik]

Topical. At first I thought people were saying tropical, and it confused me even more. I don't understand how I didn't get it considering its just 'al' on the end of 'topic'

 

[Crenelate]

I remember I once confused pecan with peacock when i was quite young... and I was horrified my my mother told me we were going to have pecan pie.

 

[diebane]

tl;dr: Did you come across words as a kid whose meanings you totally got wrong?

If that was tl;dr for anyone, they shouldn't be a part of a forum

When I was younger, about 8-9, I would watch my brothers play games on the PC. Whenever there was the word "Abbrechen" (=Cancel), they would jokingly read "Abrechnen" (= to settle one's account with s.o. , thank you leo.org). Because I didn't really learn English at this time of my life, I went with it and got used to it.

mfG diebane

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Anonymous. I had no idea what it meant. For years as a kid I just thought it was another word for miscellaneous. Silly little Redlin.

 

[tkioz]

Horny. I thought it mean you know a cows horn until a teacher took me aside when I was ten and explained why I got yelled at.

 

[Kermi]

For what it's worth, when my mother would tell me she was running to the drug store, I assumed she was going to come back with like, marijuana or cocaine or something, instead of...medicine and cheap candy and stuff.
Considering I was four, I find that rather troubling. xD;

Yeah, we call drug stores "chemists" in Australia. I didn't understand why people kept mentioning "drug stores" in TV shows like it was no big deal when I knew "drugs" were illegal.

I even had a children's book which must have been published in the US, and one of the illustrations was of a typical city street complete with a corner drug store. Tremendously confusing.